Today's hike - Maunawili Falls

My legs have finally returned to a normal feeling (as opposed to the wet-noodle feel I had after my last hike) so Matt and I decided to hit another trail. We bought a trail guide and picked one that appeared to be a bit easier than the last hike we did.

I'm not so sure that it was necessarily easier. Although it was a little shorter than the last hike we did, and nearly half the altitude gain (400 feet compared to 900 feet on the last hike,) there were some factors that I thought made this one a bit more challenging. However, it was equally if not more rewarding.

This trail was on the east side of the island, which I mentioned before is the tropical side of the island. It was over 90 degrees today, and the east side is considerably more humid than the rest of the island. This hike was also in a valley, which means that there wasn't much of a breeze at all. We did climb up into the mountains a bit, and there was a slight breeze at the higher altitudes. This hike also involved "fording", crossing for those of us not skilled in the ways of hiking vocabulary, a stream several times. This might sound fun and easy, but it's not. The rocks are very slippery, and rubber soled shoes like to slip right off of the moss-covered rocks.

However, even though I was huffing and puffing by the time we got to the end of the trail, it became clear why the hike was worth it - a beautiful waterfall! There were kids climbing the falls and jumping off the top into the falls below. (Tony, this waterfall wasn't near the "wow" value of the one we saw in PR, though.) We sat for about half an hour (on rocks) with our bare feet dangling in the very cold water. We couldn't really figure out why the water was so cold, but after about 10 minutes, our feet were numb. It felt great and really helped to make the return trip easier. This hike, unlike the last one, was not a loop, meaning that we took the same trail back as we took going in. This was a good thing, because a lot of the hike to the falls was uphill.

I got some great pictures that I will try to post sooner than later. I have posted the pictures from our last hike already, so check them out!